The regular fugitive
by Lili-812
Summary: It had been five years since the old regulars of Seigaku had seen each other last and life had moved on. No one had ever expected that the next time they met up again, it would be as wanted fugitives.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: It had been five years since the old regulars of Seigaku had seen each other last and life had moved on. No one had ever expected that the next time they met up again, it would be as wanted fugitives.

I know I have a few other fics to finish… but this idea just wouldn't leave me alone.

**The regular fugitive.**

**Chapter 1**

It had started as a normal day, and nothing had suggested otherwise.

Ryoma had dutifully gone to his part time work, being only five minutes late this time before a woman, Aiko had come out of her office.

"Ryoma, we're having an important client today. You have to be on really good behavior," The woman lectured. "His name is Genjo Hiro," Ryoma frowned irritated. He hated having to suck up to people.

"Understand?" The woman questioned sternly and Ryoma heard the threat she wasn't saying. If she wasn't happy with his performance, he would be fired.

"Crystal clear," Ryoma said. Aiko nodded before moving on leaving Ryoma to stare after her.

"Tch," Ryoma hated this job, maybe he really should just deliberately piss the man off to get fired. It was after all his father who got him this job. Ryoma decided the next time he saw that stupid man, he would get his revenge. A secretary of all things! Really?

Only minutes later, a middle aged man walked in, a stern frown on his face, while his eyes were a cold pale blue color. This must be Genjo Hiro.

"Can I help you?" Ryoma asked dutifully.

"Yes…yes I think you can," The man said, his tone grave. His cold blue eyes darted around before slowly slinking in the seat. Ryoma gave the man a sharp look as his instincts told him that something was wrong with this situation.

"Well?" Ryoma said with an annoyed look.

"I…am sorry," The man, Hiro said, almost regretfully.

"For what?" Ryoma said annoyed.

"For what I'm about to do," Hiro answered back. Ryoma's eyes narrowed at the threat before standing up.

"Get out or I'll call the cops," Ryoma stated harshly.

"Uh oh, but I've already called the cops," The man laughed, his cold eyes turned icy. "Help me," The man mimicked. "The secretary… the secretary's going to kill me!" Ryoma felt as though he'd been plunged into cold ice.

"What?" Ryoma said, his eyes wide. Faint sirens could be heard. Hiro stood up and pulled out, to Ryoma's horror, a gun.

"W-What are you doing?" Ryoma backed away, fear rising. This guy was crazy. "They'll know what happened," Ryoma tried to threaten, but his voice was shaky.

"Really?" Hiro uttered curiously before he lunged so quickly that Ryoma could only stumble backwards. He snatched Ryoma's hand and to Ryoma's horrified shock, he wrapped his hand around the gun before the man put both of his hands over his so he couldn't move his hands away. To his shock, the gun was pointed at the man and not at himself.

"What are you doing?!" Ryoma cried out, panicked. The man's finger pressed down on Ryoma's finger which would fire the device. "Stop it!"

"There will always be scapegoats," Hiro uttered sorrowfully. "I… am one, and you are one as well,"

The man's finger pressed hard down on Ryoma's and a large gunshot noise echoed in the room.

Ryoma stood completely still, eyes large and mouth making rasping noises before looking down and cried out, stumbling backwards.

Hiro's body was still, eyes wide open, glazed, blood surrounding him. Staring at the scene, Ryoma instantly turned aside and threw up. Tears streamed down his eyes as he trembled.

Someone was dead… someone was dead…. And he had been forced to kill them.

"Oh god!" Ryoma mumbled, horrified. The sirens were getting closer and Ryoma started as the man's voice echoed back to him.

"_I've already called the cops,"_

"_The secretary… the secretary's going to kill me!"_

He… had been framed? Then… the police were going to be after him… The realization hit him in the chest like a punch and Ryoma could only gasp for breath frantically.

He was going to go to jail.

He had to escape.

With a frantic pace, Ryoma grabbed his bag before running down the stairs, ignoring people were shouted or had startled looks on their faces.

Escape.

Escaping was the only think on Ryoma's mind as he walked with purpose out of the building and pulled his hood over his head just as the police stopped in front of the building. Ryoma trembled as he tried to walk casually, the shouts of the police as they ran into the building he had just left.

_Oh god…_ _This was really happening._

Ryoma drew in a shaky breath as he tried to look conspicuous and when he rounded the corner, he forgot all pretenses and bolted away, ignoring the startled yelps of people he pushed away in the struggle to get as far away as he could from his work.

The 18 year old did not think nor did he stop as he raced his way towards the only place he could think of at that moment.

The hotel he was currently staying in.

It was in his father's name, so hopefully that would buy him a little time to allow him to think.

Stopping outside the hotel, Ryoma drew in a somewhat steady breath before walking in quickly. He tried to quickly walk past the receptionist without notice but she glanced up with a pleasant smile.

"Hello there, how was your day?" She questioned. Ryoma slowed down slightly and turned to her.

"Good," He forced out. The receptionist looked slightly concerned.

"Are you okay? You… look a little peaky…" She asked, leaning forward. Ryoma leaned away.

"Fine, been a rough day," Ryoma's voice was strained. "If you don't mind…" With that being said, Ryoma forced himself to walk a normal pace, no matter how much his body wanted to run. If he did that, it would be suspicious.

As soon as he rounded the corner and away from peering eyes, the ex-regular bolted, running as fast as he could, quickly jumping up the stairs until the third floor where he finally reached his room. Fumbling with his keys, Ryoma opened the door, gasping for breath.

Ryoma puffed as he slammed the door shut behind him, limbs shaking and eyes wide open.

What had just happened?

It was insane, it couldn't be true, but the memories kept haunting Ryoma again and again, made him see the icy eyes of the man, the feel of the man's hand on his own as he was forced to grip the gun, the echo of the loud gunshot as the man forced him to press the trigger….

Then the blood.

It had been everywhere and Ryoma had just stood there, shell-shocked. The icy cold eyes of the man had faded and were glazed in death, but nothing, not even death could erase that small satisfied look that he held.

He had killed someone….

No! He had been forced to kill someone and now the police were after him. Ryoma slipped down the wall, shaking, his face pale as he withheld tears that so desperately wanted to fall.

Just this morning, it had been like every other day.

Now… he was a wanted fugitive…. He had been…

Set up.

Ryoma's body grew chilled as he realized that was exactly what had happened.

He had been framed.

What could he do? Ryoma felt like screaming, completely overwhelmed and frightened. What were his options?

He could run… or he could hand himself over, yet a voice in the back of his head told him that they would not be interested in hearing his side of the story. They would just be interested in capturing him and putting him behind bars. After all, that man he had just …. Ryoma couldn't say the word just yet, that man had been an incredibly important person. Would anyone even listen to a secretary?

Ryoma wasn't naïve. He knew how the world worked whether or not people denied it. The more important someone was, the more likely they would side with them and the harder they would look to find the person who killed them.

Ryoma stared at his hands with dull eyes. He knew he had to move and quickly before the police found out where he was but where would he go?

His mind jumped to his parent's house, but he immediately rejected that idea. That would be the first place anyone would look, but that did bring in another complication which made Ryoma freeze with trepidation.

His parents might think he had killed that man and Sakuno…

_Sakuno_

His girlfriend.

How had he forgotten? His good natured and shy girlfriend…

Ryoma felt his heart sting as despair rose up inside of him. Would Sakuno believe in those lies? She knew him though, for six years, was always around him even if he didn't speak to her….

She _knew _him.

And he knew that he had to talk to her, to make her understand and to make her believe. He didn't know if he could make it much further without the support of Sakuno… he just needed someone to believe in him.

Ryoma took out his mobile and with shaky fingers, he dialed her number.

With worry and fear, Ryoma waited as he heard the ringing.

Once

Twice.

Then there was a beep and then….

"Hello?" Sakuno's voice came out and suddenly, everything didn't seem as bad as it had, not with Sakuno on the line.

"Hello?...Ryoma? Is that you Ryoma?" Sakuno asked hesitantly. Ryoma breathed out.

"Sakuno," Ryoma said with feeling. There was a slight pause on the other end.

"Ryoma! What's going on? I-I don't understand what's going on!" Sakuno's voice was worried, but there was also a slight edge to her tone that Ryoma didn't recognize.

"Sakuno, you have to listen to me!" Ryoma urgently said.

"But..!"

"Just listen idiot!" Ryoma said forcefully. "I... Something's happened and I've been set up,"

"What? Ryoma? What are you talking about?" Sakuno's voice was confused.

"S-Someone forced me to kill them!" Ryoma forced out, his mind going back to that moment.

"Oh god! Ryoma!" Sakuno's voice was aghast, horrified.

"Someone set me up!" Ryoma said again. The other end of the phone was silent and Ryoma started to feel unsettled.

"Sakuno?" Ryoma said slowly.

"Ryoma…" There was that strange unidentified tone in her voice again and for some reason, it put Ryoma on edge.

"Ryoma, turn on the television," Sakuno whispered. Ryoma paused, frowning. It… sounded like Sakuno was crying. For some reason, Ryoma really really didn't want to turn the tv on. He was afraid of what he would hear.

Tensely, Ryoma slowly grabbed the remote and pushed the 'on' button. Immediately, the television turned on and the news popped up.

"On breaking news," The professional woman stated. "Nine simultaneous attacks on Tokyo have occurred which is believed to be all connected to one another," Ryoma watched unthinkingly until nine photo's arose on the screen and Ryoma jerked back horrified, his face paling.

For it wasn't just his face on that screen that he recognized. All the Seigaku middle school regulars were up there too.

Tezuka, his face just as emotionless as it had been.

Oishi, with his gentle smile and his two bangs hanging down.

Fuji, his smile was there and his eyes were closed like usual.

Eiji with his happy and enthusiastic smile, eyes lit up with excitement.

Inui and his glasses looking just as speculative as ever.

Taka with his sheepish smile.

Kaidoh with his scowl and hissing expression.

Momo with his goofy grin and confident expression.

Lastly, Ryoma recognized himself, with his aloof expression and his 'could care less' stance. Ryoma stood frozen as he looked at his sempai's faces, a new horror threatening to overwhelm him.

"We believe these attacks to all be part of something much bigger," The woman said professionally.

The view changed to show that of a man.

"All these people are connected from middle school as Regular's on the tennis team. We believe that they have kept in contact and banded as a group," The man said. Ryoma felt sick. It wasn't just him that was in trouble. Regardless that they hadn't seen each other in years, he could still remember the friendship that they had shared.

"Unfortunately, none of these people have been caught yet, but it is only a matter of time. Currently, they are Tokyo's biggest threat and a major part of our police force is out there searching for them,"

Ryoma sat down numbly, his hands shaking.

All the regulars were thought to be a criminal group and all of them were in the same situation.

If there was one thing he knew about his old team mates, it was that they were not criminals. He knew, just as they probably all knew….

They had all been set up.

"Ryoma?" Sakuno questioned and Ryoma jerked up, having forgotten about the call to Sakuno.

"It's stupid!" Ryoma said furiously. "Why? Why are we the scapegoats! Why did someone frame us?"

"I-I'm sorry," Sakuno stammered.

"Stupid, it's not like you did anything," Ryoma put his head in his hands but froze as Sakuno didn't respond. Something wasn't right. Then Ryoma heard a very quiet voice in the background of the phone. A man's voice, but he could only hear mumbles.

"Sakuno…?" Ryoma hesitantly asked, a deep feeling of dread starting to make itself known.

"Ryoma… you know I love you, right?" Sakuno's voice was on the edge of crying, yet the unknown tone was back again. Ryoma was about to respond when a faint noise caught his attention.

_Sirens._

Ryoma tensed, his body reacting to the fear which had started to rise.

"You know… when you love someone, you want what's best for them," Sakuno was crying and it was only now that Ryoma recognised that underlying tone in her voice.

It was guilt.

Ryoma had always been quick to grasp situations and, listening to his instincts, the man's voice on Sakuno's end of the phone and of the police sirens coming closer and closer, it all made sense.

Sakuno hadn't once believed him.

She had betrayed him.

She had been with the police the whole time… and they had tracked his phone. She had been talking to allow them to track his phone.

She had….

Ryoma could only stare, the betrayal stinging his body.

How could Sakuno…. How could she do this?

"Why?" Ryoma asked hollowly. Sakuno gave a small sob.

"Because I want you to get better," Sakuno whispered softly. "I-I don't want you to hurt anyone else, so… so I had too…"

Ryoma could feel the tears start falling. The one person who he had really believed in… betrayed him.

He had trusted her and no matter what her reasoning was, it was still betrayal.

Before, he had believed he needed Sakuno… but now… as he realized that the regulars were in the same situation as he was in, he knew…. He knew…

That he couldn't give up.

"Ryom…" Ryoma hung up the phone before throwing it across the room in a fit of anger. The sirens were getting much closer now and Ryoma ran to the window just in time to see police cars turn into the street.

Adrenaline hit him and he ran out of the room where he glanced down the stairs only to see police run through the hotel. Heart beating quickly, Ryoma changed directions and started running upstairs frantically, ignoring the shouts of the police below him.

Soon, there was a loud bang as the police bashed down his hotel door but Ryoma didn't look down. He just focused on getting away. Ryoma reached the top of the staircase where he banged open the door to the rooftop and frantically looked around for an escape route.

Dread rose up in him before he spotted a a ladder and without thinking, Ryoma ran over to it and looked down. The ladder went down till there was a metal stair case where it then stopped as it reached the ground of an alleyway.

Ryoma quickly grabbed hold of the ladder where he climbed down quickly before jumping onto the staircase and made the rest of the way down fairly easily. A shout from above snapped Ryoma's head up only to see a few policeman up there, one making his way down, the others running back the way they came, probably calling for the others in their team.

Ryoma wasted no time as he ran into the darkness of the alleyway, blindly hoping he would be able to get out.

What was he to do? Where should he go? Ryoma wondered faintly as he turned a corner.

It was a hopeless situation.

He couldn't trust anyone… not anymore… not after Sakuno…

A sudden thought hit Ryoma as he continued to run.

The only people he could trust would be the people in the same situation. That should be the first step, afterwards, they could figure out what to do.

His old friends, his team mates, the regulars….

None of them as of yet had been captured, so he knew that they must all be somewhere in Tokyo as well.

The only problem would be to find them… and he was sure that they would be thinking the same as well.

The obvious place would be Seigaku middle school, but that was way too obvious. There would most likely be policemen all around that area. He hoped the others realized that as well. Some of them like Eiji and Momo were not the smartest of people…yet Ryoma supposed he couldn't really say that, after all, they had managed to avoid being caught.

Ryoma paused as he realized that he was heading out of the alleyway and onto the main streets. Frowning, Ryoma pulled his hood up and casually walked out onto the street in a fast pace, glancing around to try and see if there were any policemen around. It seemed he was finally in luck. No police were around and only a few other people were on the streets at this time of night.

That was good, but Ryoma knew he needed to gain more space between the cops and himself.

So he walked… and he walked. Anytime he heard anything that sounded like a car, he would either duck into a hiding spot or act casual, with his hoody pulled up so they couldn't see his face.

Thinking back on where to find the other regulars, Ryoma frowned in thought.

Where would they all go to meet up? Where was a place where the others would go that would be moderately safe?

Ryoma frowned before his mind only came up with two solutions, yet both of these solutions he had no idea if all his team mates knew about them.

The first was Eiji's and Oishi's spot, on top of a metal box which was on top of a hill. That would most likely be the place both of them would go if they hoped to meet up.

The other was along the river where Kaidoh used to practice his swings. He had seen him there a numerous amount of times and he was sure others had as well.

Unfortunately, Ryoma had no idea if everyone knew of these places, but it was the only option left open to him if he wanted to even speculate on meeting the others.

Which one should he go to though?

Ryoma pulled out a coin from his pocket mentally thinking 'Tails- Oishi's and Eiji's meeting spot', and 'Heads- Kaidoh's spot,'

With a quick flick, Ryoma's coin went up into the air spinning quickly before landing in the palm of his hand.

Ryoma closed his eyes tensely before opening them and glanced down at the coin.

Tails.

Looks like he would be going to Eiji's and Oishi's old meeting place.

*&*&*Ryoma&*&*&*

Well, I hope this is okay! Review please if you like it!


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapter done! I hope I didn't introduce the next regular too soon…

**Chapter 2**

It had taken Ryoma all night to reach the stairs where, above that, was the spot in which he had been searching for and Ryoma could say with certainty that that night was the worst he had ever had.

For hours he had to stay weary of his surroundings, hiding wherever he could if he heard anything suspicious or any sirens and there had been a lot more police cars on duty then usual.

Once he had even almost been caught, but it seemed luck had been on his side as at that moment, a drunken fight had occurred on the other side of the street and in that commotion, Ryoma had managed to slip away.

Now, Ryoma stared at the stairs in front of him, an almost nervous feeling came over him, one which he wasn't quite used to feeling.

Would any of the regulars be up there, waiting? Could he be so close to the others?

Heart pounding, Ryoma slowly walked up the stairs, hopeful and slightly antsy with anticipation.

What would happen if they weren't there?

What if they were?

Ryoma hadn't seen any of his team mates in nearly five years and he had to wonder. How much had they changed? How much had he changed? Could he even trust himself to rely on them?

Ryoma couldn't answer any of these questions but soon found it did not matter.

For Ryoma had just walked up the stairs and his eyes immediately found the empty space where the storage box had been… and no regular to be found.

Off course. Hadn't Eiji and Oishi said something about it being disposed of? Regardless of that, Ryoma tugged his hoodie down and glanced around, searching for any sign of any of the regulars.

Only… it could never be that easy, could it?

Apart from him, there was no sign of life, no sign that any apart from him had come there. Perhaps he had been wrong…

Ryoma's eyes narrowed. Just because they didn't seem to be there yet, didn't mean they wouldn't be. For all he knew, they could be living on the other side of Tokyo and it would take more than a few hours walk to reach this spot.

It was too early to tell if they would come or not, so, unfortunately for Ryoma he needed to stay put.

Yet it made him feel uneasy.

The area in which he was in was too open, easy for people to stumble into him or for eyes to watch him.

In other words, Ryoma didn't like it, not one bit.

Studying the area, Ryoma decided the best way to stay hidden would be in the small area of trees. There, unfriendly people would be less likely to find him, yet he could still have a clear view of the surroundings to look out for any old team mates.

Searching the area, Ryoma was glad there was no other people he had to watch out for and quickly made for the trees where it would give him cover. In any case, it would be harder for people to see him which meant that it would be less people that would notice him and run away, screaming, only recognising him as the murderer they perceived him to be.

'Tch' Ryoma thought in irritation. He would rather they go run and scream for something he did do, instead of something he didn't. Reaching the trees, Ryoma hurried in and then looked around, slightly lost.

Now what should he do?

Perhaps one of the regulars was in here as well, waiting and just didn't see him… or were sleeping, something Ryoma really wouldn't mind doing.

Perhaps he should call out, but his mind immediately rejected that idea. No, no matter what, he had his standards and there was no way he was going to call out the names of the others… it was just too… not him.

It was only then that Ryoma frowned and felt like kicking himself. His hoodie was up. If there was a friend in here, they might not even know it was him and if he was in their position, he would definitely not show himself, not until he was absolutely certain, not with what was at stake.

Giving the surroundings another quick glance, Ryoma pulled down his hoodie, uncovering his face. Ryoma waited… hoping, because, if this didn't work, he had no idea what he was going to do.

Then, there was a sudden noise of leaves rustling against each other and Ryoma was struck with an overwhelming feeling of caution and worry. It was probably a regular, probably, yet it was impossible to not feel the doubt which crawled up inside.

What happened if someone else was here, and they saw him and were startled and horrified… recognizing his face from the news….

A second later, another noise was heard behind him.

Ryoma held his breath, frozen as he hoped that it wouldn't be anything bad. He didn't know what he would do if it was the cops or something like that.

What would he do if it was the cops? Or what if it was a random person? People all around Tokyo would probably recognize his face and then they would call the cops no doubt.

What if… His thoughts were suddenly cut off as there was another small noise before he heard a small thump on the ground. Ryoma shifted, getting ready to spin around and go into a defensive stance.

Until…

"Ochibi… is that you?" A voice, so recognizable, yet so different asked from behind. Ryoma blinked slowly, relief quickly replacing the other emotions.

He knew that voice.

Ryoma darted around and there he was.

Eiji Kikumaru.

Only the Eiji he knew always had a smile on his face, enthusiastic and excited. This one… had the same looks, the same bandage on his cheek, but his tone was much milder… uncertain, fearful.

"Kikumaru-sempai!" Ryoma breathed out, relief flowing over him. Eiji stared dully before his eyes widened with the same relief Ryoma was sure was in his eyes.

"Ochibi…Ochibi!" Eiji cried out, as he ran over to Ryoma and hugged him with all his might. It was not his usual glomping technique though. This one felt more like a hug of desperation, relief and fear all at once. Ryoma stood still, but he didn't have the heart to tell Eiji to get off of him, not with the way Eiji looked at the moment and not with the frantic grip Eiji had on him.

With everything that had happened, Ryoma was sure that Eiji had a similar story of how he had gotten into this situation.

Then Ryoma blinked as he felt his jacket become wet. Eiji was crying, Ryoma realised and now that he knew that, he could hear the suppressed sobs which Eiji let out ever so quietly.

"Kikumaru-Sempai…" Ryoma trailed off. Eiji's grip tightened a fraction. He had always been an emotional and expressive person.

"...Sorry Ochibi…. Could we stay like this for a little longer?" Eiji's muffled voice asked vulnerably. Ryoma put an arm around Eiji and leaned back into the tree behind him, looking up at the sky wistfully.

"Okay," Ryoma's voice was quiet, matching the sadness in Eiji's voice and thought on the next step. He had found Eiji thankfully, the next person they would most likely meet would be Oishi, then at least he wouldn't have to handle Eiji alone.

Question's nagged at him though. What would they do if Oishi didn't turn up? Or if the cops found out where they were? Where would they go? How would they escape? What had happened to all of the others? Were they even safe?

Ryoma inwardly smacked his head for the last question.

None of them were safe.

Not until their names were clear. Not until…

They found out who framed them.

Ryoma supposed he should be glad that he wasn't alone in facing this… but a part of him wished he was alone and with the other regulars going about their daily lives. The other part was so thankful for the support even if he would never ever say that aloud.

Ryoma felt Eiji shift slightly before moving away from him, rubbing his face of the last of the tears, his eyes slightly puffy and red.

"Sorry Ochibi, I'm just so relieved that I was able to finally meet one of us," _One of us_, Ryoma thought dully. That really was what it was coming down to, wasn't it. All nine of them could only depend on themselves and each other and Ryoma had discovered that the hard way. He could still feel the betrayal of Sakuno sting inside.

"I know," Ryoma said. "Same here," Eiji twitched slightly, his arms grabbing Ryoma and shook him slightly in panic.

"What's going on? I-I don't understand! One moment everything is fine! The next, the cops are after me and I don't… I don't…!" Eiji blurted out frantically. "I'm scared! What's going on Ochibi!?" Eiji pleaded, his voice cracking at the end.

"Kikumaru-Sempai…" Ryoma frowned. "I don't know either," Eiji's look was so dejected that Ryoma sighed, wondering if that was how he looked to Eiji. With a frown, Eiji slid to the floor, despair written all across his face. Ryoma shifted slightly before sitting on the ground as well, a question popping up in his head, one which he really wanted an answer to.

"How did you get framed?" Ryoma asked intently. Eiji's head jerked up before pulling up a leg to his chest and stared at Ryoma with such a hollow expression that Ryoma almost regretted asking.

"It was just a normal day," Eiji whispered his eyes large in remembrance. "I had just gotten off my shift at work and my big sister's baby girl was having her first birthday, so I went to the shopping centre to look for a present. I-I don't…" Eiji shook his head, turning slightly angry.

"Why?! Why didn't I see? I kept feeling as though someone was following me but I shrugged it off! I went into the shops… then I don't remember what happened cause I think I was knocked out… but when I woke, people were screaming, running away, and police were running in…" Eiji's hands shook. Ryoma stared, stunned.

"A bomb had gone off…" Eiji uttered.

"How did you get away?" Ryoma breathed out, feeling horrified for Eiji's sake. He knew that what he had gone through was bad, but this was bad in a completely different way.

"I… was in the corner and they didn't see me. But I heard my name coming from them and that an anonymous tip told them that I.. had set the bomb off. I don't know what I was thinking but I ran out a back exit and don't remember if they followed or not…" Eiji told him.

"Did… anyone die?" Ryoma inquired slowly. Eiji's mouth turned grim but he slowly shook his head.

"I don't think so. Many had injuries though," Eiji said while Ryoma nodded.

"How did you know that the same thing happened to us?" Ryoma asked. For the first time, Eiji gave a little grin as he held up a little device. An mp3.

"It has the radio," Eiji said before staring intently at Ryoma. "There is talk about us everywhere,"

"What's your story?" Eiji asked. Ryoma frowned, ignoring the feeling inside of him which told him to tell Eiji to 'stop prying into his business.' It was only fair to relate his story to Eiji, but now he knew exactly how Eiji felt. Never did he imagine that even thinking about relaying what had happened could make him want to throw up.

"A man came into work, told me he called the cops, then forced me to kill him…" Ryoma forced out, glancing away, a slight green tinge coming onto his face as he remembered all the blood. Eiji stared, horrified.

"W-What? Ochibi? What do you mean he forced you to kill him?" Eiji choked out.

"He grabbed my hand, and put it over his gun, with his hand on top of mine and forced me to shoot," Ryoma ignored the lump in his throat.

"God.. Ochibi…. How could…. I'm so sorry," Eiji stammered, slightly pale.

"Don't be, same thing happened to you after all," Ryoma said with a sigh. Eiji shook his head.

"Not like that though! What happened to you… is a lot worse….!" Eiji said slightly teary.

"Kikumaru-sempai…." Ryoma muttered.

"Eiji, call me Eiji," Eiji interrupted. Ryoma studied Eiji before nodding. He would have his reasons after all. Perhaps his family had betrayed him the same way Sakuno had betrayed him. He hoped not though. It was a horrible thing to go through and for Eiji who had two older brothers, two older sisters, grandparents and parents, if he were to go through that, it would be almost unbearable.

"Sure,"

Ryoma leaned back till he was lying down and covered his eyes with his arm.

"I want ponta," Ryoma grumbled and was surprised to hear Eiji laugh.

"Nya! No matter what, Ochibi will be Ochibi!" Eiji said with a smile before leaning back as well. It looked like Eiji was becoming more Eiji-like as well, something Ryoma was grateful for. At least that Eiji he knew how to handle.

"Tch," Looking up at the sky, Ryoma wondered how late it was getting, not to mention, he was getting quite hungry. Unfortunately, his stomach chose that time to grumble.

"Nya?" Eiji propped his head up. "Your hungry?" Ryoma made another "Tch" Noise, but other than that, chose not to answer as his stomach as Eiji's question raised another to mind.

They needed food.

How were they supposed to get any?

Just walking into a supermarket filled Ryoma with dread and fear, but sometime, they would have to.

"Nya, Oishi should be here soon," Eiji said, his voice saturated with excitement and hope as he changed the subject.

"And if he's not?" Ryoma asked. Eiji's head turned his way, determination and confidence in he's voice.

"He will be," Eiji said with a enthusiastic smile. "He has to be. We're the golden pair! He has to know where I would be waiting for him!"

Ryoma didn't say anything. He didn't want to.

The truth was that Ryoma had seen Oishi around this area a few times in the last few years and that made it more than likely that Oishi lived in this area. If that was true, then Oishi should have already arrived at this spot, but he hadn't and that did not bode well for them.

Ryoma hoped that Oishi was just farther away than he anticipated, because the only other option was that something else had happened since being framed.

"Nya! I can't wait to meet Fujiko again! And Momo, Tezuka and…everyone!" Eiji's voice was like a little kid on a sugar rush. "Aren't you excited Ochibi?" Ryoma stared.

"Yea…" He answered. Eiji frowned, a light, good natured scowl appearing on his face.

"Ochibi's so cold!" Eiji protested as he rolled onto his stomach to get a better look at Ryoma who rolled his eyes, getting into the old familiar routine.

"Your just too hyper," Ryoma argued back without bite as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, something which Eiji immediately picked up on.

"Are you tired? You can sleep if you want Ochibi," Eiji said. Ryoma was about to protest but before he could say anything, Eiji flicked him on the nose. "Sleep, I'll keep watch. I'm not tired yet,"

Ryoma gave in pretty easily. He really was tired, not to mention, he really wanted to fall asleep just so he could forget about everything that had happened.

"Tch, Wake me if you're feeling tired," Ryoma mumbled, already falling asleep. If they both fell asleep, not only was there a chance of missing Oishi, there was a chance that people could find them and they would be completely oblivious to it.

Eiji's faint "Hoi Hoi!" Was the last thing Ryoma heard as he sank into sleep gratefully.

&*&*&Eiji &*& Ryoma&*&*&

Once Ryoma had rested, they had swapped, allowing Eiji to get his much needed rest.

This time though, when both were well rested, there was an air of tenseness around them. It was an uncomfortable feeling and one which both tried to ignore.

As time went by though, this feeling grew even further, leaving Eiji very skittish and Ryoma even less talkative.

Not to mention, by this stage, both were hungry, very hungry.

"Eiji…" Ryoma spoke up. Eiji's head sprang up from his position.

"He'll come!" Eiji spoke, frustrated worry in his voice. "I know he will," This time though, it lacked the confidence it had before.

"And if he doesn't?" Ryoma asked, his voice slightly strained. Oishi wasn't just a friend of Eiji's after all.

"He will… he has too…"

All Ryoma could think was that Eiji was setting himself up for a near certain disappointment. It was worrying though, that Oishi hadn't turned up.

What did that mean? For them and for him?

They couldn't keep waiting much longer. Ryoma doubted that it was a good idea to stay in that place for too much longer, and not to mention that both would have to search for food very soon. Ryoma glanced over at Eiji and although, he wasn't a very caring person, he was reluctant to voice his opinion in this matter. The slight crease around Eiji's eyes, the way his eyes continuously searched the area for any signs, even Even Eiji's posture or the clench of his fists revealed just how much this was bothering him.

"Eiji, does your MP3 have any battery left over?" Ryoma spoke up suddenly. Eiji blinked before regaining his enthusiasm and nodded cheerfully, albeit, less than the usual amount.

"Hoi hoi!" Eiji took his Mp3 out and gave one of the headphones to Ryoma before turning it on.

Both waited in suspense, only to hear static on through the earphones.

Both waited, but no other sound came through and both boys slouched in disappointment.

"Something's interfering with the connection," Eiji grumbled in frustration.

"Eiji, we need to leave," Ryoma said reluctantly. Eiji's head shot up.

"No! We can't! Not without Oishi!" Eiji vehemently argued, his eyes wide.

"We have to! We can't stay here and we need to find some food," Ryoma argued back.

"No! We just have to wait a little longer, you'll see, he'll come…." Eiji's voice was emotional and distressed.

"He's not going to come!" Ryoma shot back and immediately Eiji was struck silent, teary. "Eiji, if you want to find Oishi, staying here isn't the way to do it! If he hasn't come here already, then I doubt he will. You can either stay here and be found or go out there searching for him!" Ryoma locked his eyes onto Eiji who looked like he had been hit, hard in the stomach.

The hope in Eiji's eyes was almost non-existent and as he continued to look at Ryoma, his posture slowly become one with defeat.

"Your right," Eiji eventually said, his voice solemn.

Nothing more was said after that and both looked at one another with trepidation before looking out towards the path, outside the trees they were hiding in.

"Nya… do you feel nervous?" Eiji asked, eying the outside world from their little tree hideout. Ryoma made a noise in his throat, refusing to answer.

"Pull your hood up," Ryoma said instead. Eiji complied before both slowly walked through the trees.

With a few more steps, they reached the end line of the trees and although Ryoma felt better than before he had found Eiji, a new cloud hung over their heads.

_What had happened to Oishi?_

&*&*&*&*&* Ryoma&*&Eiji &*&*&*&*

Second chapter done! I really wanted to get the characters personalities correct, but I don't know how well I did… it's really hard to tell how they would react in a situation like this.

Now I'm probably not going to introduce the next regular (and I have no idea who it will be either…well, technically I have some idea :P ) for a few more chapters cause I don't want this to be too unrealistic. Plus, this chapter is mostly just Eiji and Ryoma based and them trying to cope with the situation. There will be more happening in the next chapter.

Review if you like please!


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